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Journalism of Courage
India’s makeshift men’s senior hockey team opened their Sultan Azlan Shah Cup 2025 campaign with a 1-0 win against Korea at the Sultan Azlan Shah Stadium in Ipoh, Malaysia, on Sunday. Mohammed Raheel (15’) scored the only goal of the game, helping the Indian team get over the line.
India began the game in promising fashion, stringing together neat passes and dominating possession in the opening exchanges. After a spell of early pressure, Sukhjeet Singh came close to opening the scoring, striking the post from close range. India eventually made their positive start count when Raheel (15’) finished off a well-worked team move, giving his side a 1-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.
With Korea trying to play catch up in the second quarter, they managed to manufacture a couple of chances on the counter attack. However, goalkeeper Mohith HS denied them the equaliser with a sharp save, ensuring that India kept their noses in front after a commanding first half display.
In search of a second goal, India came flying off the blocks to begin the second half. They continued to push Korea on the backfoot with a couple of Penalty Corners opportunities, but those yielded no results. With time ticking in the third quarter, India had to dig deep in defence with Pawan being called into action a couple of times to ensure their lead remained intact heading into the final fifteen minutes.
India upped the ante in the fourth quarter as they looked to put the result beyond all doubt. Kim Jaehan – who has the habit of thwarting India – was the busier of the two goalkeepers as he denied Abhishek from close range, keeping Korea in with a fighting chance with under seven minutes to go. The Koreans were persistent in their search for a leveller, but the Indian defence was resolute.
With under a minute to play, Korea had the opportunity to steal a point from a Penalty Corner. However, Mohith stood tall and stuck out a leg to shut the door once again. India held on in the end, earning a hard-fought win courtesy their comprehensive performance on both ends of the pitch.
Building towards the 2026 FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup and the 2026 Asian Games next year, this tournament, where Sanjay is the captain, provides an opportunity for competitive preparation as well as test new combinations to expand India’s depth.
The squad consists of Pawan and Mohith HS as goalkeepers, while the defensive unit comprises Poovanna Chandura Boby, Nilam Sanjeep Xess, Yashdeep Siwach, Jugraj Singh, Amit Rohidas and captain Sanjay.
Rajinder Singh, Raj Kumar Pal, Nilakanta Sharma, Rabichandra Singh Moirangthem, Vivek Sagar Prasad and Mohammed Raheel Mouseen will be present in the midfield, while Sukhjeet Singh, Shilanand Lakra, Selvam Karthi, Aditya Arjun Lalage, Dilpreet Singh and Abhishek lead the attack for India.
India will next play Belgium on 24th November at 1530 hours IST.
